Readers are helping us update names and boundaries for those Toronto places that shape who we are. See the interactive map and have your say.

Our map is a work in progress because neighbourhoods are constantly evolving. Names change, boundaries are disputed. The one constant is that residents care, passionately. So, check it out via the link below, and join the debate.

Kevin Putnam knows exactly where he lives. The problem is he can't quite put a name to it.

He doesn't live in The Junction or High Park. Those neighbourhoods lie to the west. Nor does he live in Roncesvalles or Parkdale, which are further south. He also has to rule out Brockton and Wallace Emerson, neighbourhoods just to the east, and Carleton Village, to the north.

Such namelessness makes Putnam a relative rarity in a city of fierce neighbourhood loyalties. "I've been living here for five years now and I'm tired of trying to tell people where I live," he says.

So these days find Putnam among a small group of residents trying to coin a name for their nabe, since a one-time moniker – The Junction Triangle – seems to have fallen into disuse. It's that important.

In all great cities, neighbourhoods matter. They're part of our mental geography, where we live, shop and play – where, no matter how old we are, something formative happens to us.

That's why, with the help of readers, the
Star
has been developing what we hope will be a
comprehensive map of Toronto neighbourhoods
, a print version of which appears today on pages
A8-9
. (On tap: a similar effort covering the 905.)

By our count, there are more than 170 neighbourhoods in Toronto, some steeped in history, some of more recent vintage, many mutable over time.

Leslieville, for instance, was in fact a 19th century village, but the name was lost until recently resurrected to apply to a much larger urban area, one unimaginable to the original settlers.

Or consider Harbord Village, which used to be known as Sussex Ulster, until the local residents' association opted for a new handle.

But most neighbourhood names have simply endured, clung to by generations of native Torontonians and immigrants alike.

It's been 126 years since Toronto annexed the Town of Yorkville, but that area is still called Yorkville, just as Leaside and Swansea remain part of our vocabulary 42 years after they were absorbed.

We're not alone in this, of course. Londoners still have Knightsbridge, Lambeth, Hampstead and Islington. Brooklyn may have ceased to be an independent city more than a century ago, but to New Yorkers, Brooklyn is still Brooklyn, as are its distinct neighbourhoods, from Flatbush to Brighton Beach.

In similar fashion, six former municipalities may have amalgamated in 1998 to form a single City of Toronto, but the old monikers live on in the names of community councils, hospitals, high schools, libraries, businesses. They're still part of our identity.

Given the plethora of names and neighbourhoods, our map is meant to be a guide for
Star
writers and editors as well as readers, adding layers of geographical information when locating an event. For instance, something might be described as happening on Doris Dr., near St. Clair Ave. E. and O'Connor Dr., in the Parkview Hills neighbourhood of East York.

So what counts as a neighbourhood and what are its boundaries? This is trickier than you might think. After a version of our neighbourhood map appeared on the
Star
's website, we received dozens of queries, suggestions and quibbles.

There were some broad patterns. For obvious reasons, people sometimes have a habit of borrowing the name of a nearby, ostensibly tonier neighbourhood when talking about where they live, which is what happened with The Annex over time. And residents' associations tend to expand geographically, claiming additional turf or absorbing voids.

Then again, other correspondents suggested carving out distinct bits of larger neighbourhoods.

We've tried to adjudicate all this as best we can, knowing that usage changes over time – and will continue to do so. For now, at least, we've omitted such names as Greektown and Koreatown, mostly because they refer to commercial strips rather than neighbourhoods. The exception: Little Italy, which has a lot of history on its side.

Similarly, we're clinging to the traditional definition of the East End, meaning the former part of Toronto east of the Don River. The West End is the former city west of Bathurst St., which serves as proxy for the original boundary, the now-buried Garrison Creek.

We did agree to include Upper Beach, a name conjured by real estate agents but now so firmly a part of common parlance that it's entered our mental map of the city.

Inevitably any neighbourhood map will always be a work in progress, so please keep your comments and criticisms coming.

After all, quibbles about names and boundaries are really just a reflection of how passionate Torontonians can be about their neighbourhoods. To wit, this letter from a 79-year-old woman who left her childhood neighbourhood in 1949: "It will always be The Beach and I will always be a Beacher," she wrote, adding, "I do so hope and pray you mark the area The Beach."

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